New To Going Vegan

[John Cintron]

I have been doing vegan for about a month. And I don't think eating the food is the problem. I am having more problems with having lots of flautelance and t0o many bathroom trips. It sometimes doesn't help me have intense workouts. I am not a big guy about 5'7 170-175 . I switched to vegan for health and performance reasons. I just don't like worrying if after every meal I am going to have gas or have to head to the bathroom. Has anyone had problems like this at first and then disappeared? eating out which I have been trying to avoid is difficult.

[soniczip]

hello and welcome to vf!

i don't know, i guess it depends on "what" vegan food you're eating.

if you only eat chips all day, that makes you a vegan but ...
the same goes for any unbalanced vegan (or non-vegan) diet. some adjusting might as well occuring during the transition.

as far as i'm concerned, no problems in that area.

sz

[John Cintron]

Well I have not been eating chips.lol

Breakfast
bowl of strawberry's ,bannana and amaranth or strawberry's bannana almonds, dates

Lunch
whole wheat wrap brown rice, spinach, lentils and guacamole

Dinner

Wrap of vegie burger, spinach guacamole and chipotle sauce

Lentils with vegatbles

Shakes
Spinach, pinapple and bannana
spinach, cucumber,apple and bannana

Some of the foods I have been eating

[vegimator]

A lot of people experience this at the beginning of going vegan since your stomach/intestinal flora may not be used to all the veggies/legumes you're eating now.

There are things you can do to help during this transitional time though (and in general). Look for sprouted/fermented protein sources. Tempeh/miso and sprouted tofu/sprouted tofu products (wildwood makes a number of these) have higher digestibility than regular tofu or soymilk, isolated soy protein, etc.

[vegimator]

Lentils don't really make me gassy, but they're probably the main culprit for you right now (and maybe something in the veggie burger). They're easy to sprout if you have the time for that.

[patientot]

I don't think I'm the best person to give nutritional advice because the healthiness of my diet has fluctuated a bit over the years.

That said, when I first became vegan I made a ton of trips to the bathroom, moreso than I do now. After a few months it became more "normal" but still more than an omnivore. If you talk to a lot of veggies and vegans they'll tell you they use the bathroom more now than they did when they eat meat.

Tempeh is great...beside the stuff about being easier to digest it's a lot easier to cook IMHO and has more of a meaty texture...perfect for people trying to give up meat.

Stuff like any kind of berries, grapes, etc. will make you go to the bathroom. I love grapes, could probably eat a pound of them in one sitting no problem. However, I'd be running to the bathroom later in the day. Same thing with carrot sticks. Basically, try to eat high fiber foods in moderation.

Shakes can also give you gas because they are full of air. Try letting them settle a bit before drinking.

Also, after a few months if you're still having issues, you could think about trying a probiotic supplement.

[flatbushvegan]

"I feel your pain." I'm among the many that had a similar issue at first and then my body adapted. TVP and soy-based burgers, especially, gave me gas and made me go to the bathroom more often. Nowadays I really don't go any more than when I was an omnivore.

[xrodolfox]

Time will help you figure out what's going on.

I never really got gassy or had to go to the bathroom more when I went vegan. Then again, I've never been much of a farter, like many of my other male friends who relished farting louder and smellier than the other guy. I never could compete because, well, I rarely had to fart, and when I did, things never got that out of hand. Things stayed the same as a vegan.

However, that's not always the case for many people. Most people fart smelly farts no matter what they eat. I've seen friends get less bloated once they abstain from gluten, and others from corn. I can eat beans all day and feel great after... but a few omnis I know can't. Time and a little testing will tell.

Just saying, some vegans never got bloated or farty, no matter how many beans they eat.

[xJimx]

Based on the diet you've posted here, I reckon the issue is the amount of fibre & fresh fruit you're eating.

[beforewisdom]

Eating too fast or with your mouth open ( talking ) can cause gas as air gets mixed with your food.
Not chewing your food enough, especially with greens can cause gas.
Eating too much at one sitting can also cause gas.

Legumes ( beans ) and cruciferous vegetables ( cabbage family, broccoli, collard greens etc ) have a carbohydrate callled oligosaccharides which are hard to break down. Bacteria in your gut will finish the job, but a byproduct is gas.

I just wrote a post on how to deal with this with beans
http://beforewisdom.com/blog/?p=1608

You can also buy "beanzyme" a natural enzyme to help you break down some of these oligosaccarides until your body gets used to eating a diet higher in roughage. If you ate very little fiber before going vegan, your system may not handle the higher fiber diet well for a time


http://www.bean-zyme.com/Bean-zyme%20sa ... 20info.htm